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A quiet street in Kyoto’s Gion district at night lined with traditional machiya townhouses

023KYOTOJAPANESE · KAPPO

GION SASAKI

祇園 さゝ木

MICHELIN GUIDE · JAPAN · 2026Three Stars(as listed for 2026)

Context image — not a photograph of this restaurant: A quiet street in Kyoto’s Gion district at night lined with traditional machiya townhouses — Photo: lumoplank / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

No.
023
City
Kyoto — Higashiyama-ku
Region
Kyoto / Kyoto
Cuisine
Japanese cuisine · Kappo
Guide
MICHELIN Guide Japan 2026 — Three Stars

03

Introduction

はじめに

Kappo on Yasaka-dori, with one shared start time.

A kappo restaurant on Yasaka-dori in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. Lunch (Thursday to Saturday only) begins for all guests at 12:00 and dinner at 18:30, and it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Reservations are by phone only, accepted from the first business day of each month through the end of the month two months ahead.

  • Lunch (Thu-Sat only) starts for all guests at 12:00; dinner starts for all guests at 18:30. Source

04

Cuisine

料理

JAPANESE

日本料理

Cooking built around dashi and the season, where vessel and room are part of the menu.

More in this cuisine

KAPPO

割烹

Japanese cooking across a counter, where the cook's work happens within arm's reach.

More in this cuisine

Classification follows the wording of the restaurant's official website.

05

Chef

料理人

Hiroshi Sasaki

佐々木 浩

  • Born in Nara Prefecture in 1961. Source
  • Opened his own restaurant in Gion in 1997. Source
Wooden gate with open double doors leading to the garden of Isshin-in temple, Kyoto
Wooden gate with open double doors leading to the garden of Isshin-in temple, Kyoto — Photo: Basile Morin / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

07

Ingredients

食材

A general introduction to ingredients behind japanese cuisine cooking — not a statement of what this restaurant uses.

  • Katsuobushi (dried bonito) and kombu, the two pillars of dashi

    DASHI

    出汁

    Stock drawn from kombu and katsuobushi is the foundation of Japanese flavour.

  • Traditional Kyoto breakfast at Tamahan Ryokan: grilled mackerel, dashimaki omelette, rice and small dishes

    RICE

    米

    Sushi rice, sake, miso, koji — much of Japanese food begins with rice.

  • A sushi chef’s hands presenting kasugodai (young sea bream) nigiri at Sushi Tokami, Tokyo

    FISH

    魚

    Fish from the seas around the archipelago, different by season and by water.

08

Seasonality

季節

Seasonal produce in Kyoto varies with origin, climate and year. For menus and what is served, please refer to the restaurant's official information.
Story: Four seasons on a plate

Final course of a kaiseki dinner at Hiiragiya Ryokan, Kyoto: setoka orange, strawberry and mint
Final course of a kaiseki dinner at Hiiragiya Ryokan, Kyoto: setoka orange, strawberry and mint
Taranome (Japanese angelica tree shoots), a spring mountain vegetable
Taranome (Japanese angelica tree shoots), a spring mountain vegetable

09

Space

空間

Location (as stated officially)〒605-0811 京都府京都市東山区八坂通り小松町566-27

Details of interiors and designers are shown only when confirmed by a source.

Basque pintxos on a bar counter in Donostia–San Sebastián
Context: Basque pintxos on a bar counter in Donostia–San Sebastián — Photo: Nicolas Vollmer from Munich [Allemagne] / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

10

Tableware

器と工芸

An introduction to the crafts of the Japanese table — not the vessels used at this restaurant.

  • Hagi ware tea bowl, 18th–19th century (Freer Gallery of Art)

    CERAMICS

    Arita, Kyoto, Bizen — each place with its own clay, glaze and firing.

  • Solid-red Wajima-nuri lacquer rice bowl of Japanese zelkova

    LACQUER

    Wood built up in coats of urushi lacquer — Wajima-nuri among the best known.

  • Edo kiriko cut-glass drinkware

    GLASS

    Edo kiriko and Satsuma kiriko cut glass — coolness for the summer table.

11

Guide History

ガイド掲載履歴

  1. 2026

    MICHELIN GUIDE · JAPAN · 2026

    Three Stars

    As shown on the official page: 「ミシュラン 三つ星: 卓越した料理」

    Verified 26 September 2026 — Source (MICHELIN Guide official page) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2025

    Not verified — no record

  3. 2024

    Not verified — no record

  4. 2023

    Not verified — no record

This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Michelin or the MICHELIN Guide. Guide information is quoted as text only from each restaurant's page on guide.michelin.com, together with the distinction year and the date we checked it. Distinctions change from year to year — please refer to the official page for current information.

12

Location

所在地

Address
〒605-0811 京都府京都市東山区八坂通り小松町566-27
City
Kyoto
Prefecture
Kyoto
Region
Kyoto
Open in maps (opens in a new tab)

Map position from the coordinates on the official MICHELIN Guide page.

13

Official Information

公式情報

Status
Open (per official website)
Official site
gionsasaki.com (opens in a new tab)
Lunch
Thu, Fri, Sat only; all guests start at 12:00
Dinner
All guests start at 18:30
Closed
Sundays, Mondays; irregular closures
Reservations
Phone only. From the first business day of each month, bookings accepted through the end of the month two months ahead.

Verified 26 September 2026 — Source: GION SASAKI
Hours, closing days and booking conditions change. Always check the official website before visiting.

14

Gallery

ギャラリー

No licensed photograph of this restaurant has been found. The images below show its region and cuisine as context.

  • Context: Machiya facade with sudare blinds, wooden balustrades and a lamp on Shinbashi-dōri, Gion — Photo: Basile Morin / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
  • Context: Noren-hung entrance to the sushi restaurant Sushi Aoki in Tokyo — Photo: City Foodsters / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

15

Related Tables

関連する食卓

001JAPANESE

Nihonryori RyuGin

日本料理 龍吟

TOKYO — Yurakucho

MICHELIN GUIDE · JAPAN · 2026Three Stars(as listed for 2026)

002JAPANESE

DEN

傳

TOKYO — Jingumae

MICHELIN GUIDE · JAPAN · 2026Two Stars(as listed for 2026)

003JAPANESE · KAISEKI

Kikunoi Honten

菊乃井 本店

KYOTO — Higashiyama-ku

MICHELIN GUIDE · JAPAN · 2026Three Stars(as listed for 2026)

16

Stories

関連する特集

17

Sources

出典

  1. 01OfficialTOP of 祇園さゝ木 GION SASAKIGION SASAKI (opens in a new tab)Accessed 26 September 2026
  2. 02Official祇園 さゝ木 / GION SASAKI（旧サイト）GION SASAKI (opens in a new tab)Accessed 26 September 2026
  3. 03OfficialABOUT of 祇園 さゝ木 / GION SASAKI（旧サイト）GION SASAKI (opens in a new tab)Accessed 26 September 2026
  4. 04Guide祇園 さゝ木／Gion Sasaki — MICHELIN GuideMICHELIN Guide (opens in a new tab)Accessed 26 September 2026

Last verified 26 September 2026

18

Photo Credits

写真クレジット

  1. A quiet street in Kyoto’s Gion district at night lined with traditional machiya townhouses

    Gion, Kyoto

    Photographer / creator

    lumoplank

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC0

    lumoplank, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

  2. Wooden gate with open double doors leading to the garden of Isshin-in temple, Kyoto

    Higashiyama, Kyoto

    Photographer / creator

    Basile Morin

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  3. Katsuobushi (dried bonito) and kombu, the two pillars of dashi

    Photographer / creator

    サフィル

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    サフィル, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  4. Traditional Kyoto breakfast at Tamahan Ryokan: grilled mackerel, dashimaki omelette, rice and small dishes

    Tamahan Ryokan, Kyoto

    Photographer / creator

    MichaelMaggs

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

    MichaelMaggs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  5. A sushi chef’s hands presenting kasugodai (young sea bream) nigiri at Sushi Tokami, Tokyo

    Sushi Tokami, Tokyo

    Photographer / creator

    City Foodsters

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

    City Foodsters, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  6. Hagi ware tea bowl, 18th–19th century (Freer Gallery of Art)

    Photographer / creator

    AnonymousUnknown author

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

    AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  7. Solid-red Wajima-nuri lacquer rice bowl of Japanese zelkova

    Photographer / creator

    yuuki ゆうき(金野裕希)

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    yuuki ゆうき(金野裕希), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  8. Edo kiriko cut-glass drinkware

    Photographer / creator

    Nesnad

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

    Nesnad, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  9. Basque pintxos on a bar counter in Donostia–San Sebastián

    Donostia–San Sebastián, Spain

    Photographer / creator

    Nicolas Vollmer from Munich [Allemagne]

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

    Nicolas Vollmer from Munich [Allemagne], CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  10. Final course of a kaiseki dinner at Hiiragiya Ryokan, Kyoto: setoka orange, strawberry and mint

    Hiiragiya Ryokan, Kyoto

    Photographer / creator

    Paul Keller

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

    Paul Keller, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  11. Taranome (Japanese angelica tree shoots), a spring mountain vegetable

    Photographer / creator

    Kentin

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Kentin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  12. Machiya facade with sudare blinds, wooden balustrades and a lamp on Shinbashi-dōri, Gion

    Gion Shinbashi, Kyoto

    Photographer / creator

    Basile Morin

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  13. Noren-hung entrance to the sushi restaurant Sushi Aoki in Tokyo

    Tokyo

    Photographer / creator

    City Foodsters

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

    City Foodsters, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment